LA JOLLA – Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary High School boys basketball coach George Zedan had no visions of grandeur for the Cardinals’ first trip into the CIF State playoffs.

But he was hoping for a better showing than what he saw Wednesday night.

Sage Burmeister scored 17 points and Frank Bamford had 16 and host La Jolla Country Day ended the Cardinals’ dream season with a 56-37 victory over Cantwell in a CIF Southern California Regional Division IV first-round game.

The Torreys, also getting 10 points from Nick Schlossberg, improved to 21-9 and advanced to face either Chowchilla or traditional power Price in Saturday’s regional quarterfinals.

The Cardinals, getting 12 points each from Jose Estrada and Jacob Contreras, finished 26-6 in a season that saw them advance to the CIF-Southern Section divisional final for the first time.

“It’s tough to reflect right now. But we’re disappointed for ourselves and our fans,” Cantwell coach George Zedan said. “It’s tough to reflect right now. Time will allow for that. Overall, I’m happy with the progress we made this year, and we have something to build off of.

“It’s just frustrating, because it looked like our group was just satisfied to be here.

“They made history. They made history for the school, they made history for their team.”

But the dream of moving on came crashing down during the middle of the second quarter when Cantwell looked to be in solid position to perhaps keep the magic going.

The Cardinals, getting 10 points in the first half from Contreras, all on the inside, rallied from a slow start with a 9-1 blitz to turn a 9-4 deficit into a 13-10 lead.

They extended the advantage, using a 9-4 run for a 22-17 lead after a 3-point play by Adam Aguirre at 4:35 and a putback by Contreras at 3:07.

Then the roof seemed to cave in.

The Torreys, who opened the game with a 9-4 surge, closed the half with an 9-0 blitz and took a 26-22 halftime advantage following a 3-pointer by Bamford, a 3-point play by Kai Tuites and a driving layup by Burmeister.

“We turned the ball over like crazy,” Zedan said. “Jose had bunch and didn’t score in the second quarter. Joey (Covarrubias) turned over the ball a couple of times.

“Our defense broke down a bit in the second quarter. We knew they were going to shoot better in the second half, so I felt like we should have been up a few points (at halftime).”

Those worries were then proved a reality after the Torreys scored on their first three possessions of the third quarter and opened the half with an 11-6 surge for a 37-28 lead at 4:14 following 3-pointers by Bamford and Burmeister.

Country Day then closed the quarter with a 6-0 run for a 45-32 lead.

Jordan Poland, Bamford and Burmeister opened the fourth with inside shots to all but seal the game at 53-32 with 4:11 to play.

“We never made them uncomfortable (during the second half),” Zedan said. “They were just toying with us a little bit.

“It is what it is. We had a good run, but at the same time, it would have been good to have a better showing.”

Girls Division 4

La Jolla The Bishop’s 64, St. Paul 38

Freshman Clarissa Perez scored nine points and Cassidy Carrillo had eight in a losing effort for the Swordsmen in a first-round game.

St. Paul, which last played in the CIF-SS Division 4A semifinals, finished 17-15.

Steve Ramirez writes about public safety issues including criminal justice and fires in Inland Southern California. He previously covered high schools, college football and motor sports for the San Gabriel Valley Tribune since 1989. He's a big fan of Buddy Holly and loves World War II movies.

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